Ei x Amy Edmondson: When Psychological Safety & Emotional inclusion Come Together

08/19/22 • 36 min

Amy Edmondson

Amy is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, a chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises. Best known for her groundbreaking work on psychological safety in the workplace, Amy has written a fantastic book called “The Fearless Organization, creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation and growth.” She is the author of seven books in total and more than 75 articles and case studies. Amy has been named in 2021, The #1 Management thinker in the World by Thinkers50 for her pioneering ideas on psychological safety in the workplace and transforming how companies operate, innovate and collaborate. She was also named the Most Influential International Thinker in Human Resources by HR Magazine in 2019.

Insights from this episode:

Psychological safety
Speaking up and being heard
Cultural differences in workplace dynamics
Purpose and fulfillment in work
Spectrum of Mental Health illnesses
Value creation
Curiosity, Humility, and Empathy

Quotes from the show:

“It’s great to have psychological safety and feel like you can speak up, but it matters even more if you feel like someone’s listening.” - Amy Edmondson
“Healthy organization of the future would be one where the purpose is front and center is people’s minds, where the culture is healthy, inclusive.” - Amy Edmondson
“We all want to be a part of something larger than ourselves.” - Amy Edmondson
“The first thing that companies need to do is truly differentiate and help identify people who are having medical mental health challenges and get them the help they need. Nothing could be more important than that. “ - Amy Edmondson
“Psychological safety is simply permission for candor.” - Amy Edmondson
“Curiosity is the twin sister of humility.” - Amy Edmondson
“Emotional inclusion is really a calling on companies to seriously invest in the mental health of their employees inside their organization, and really through a medical lens to see sustainable results because that’s effectively what we’re all after.” - Mollie Jean De Dieu
“Make sure that our employees feel valued and cared for, and that they have a sense of meaning within their organizations.” - Mollie Jean De Dieu

Stay connected:

Amy Edmondson
LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amedmondson/

Emotional inclusion

https://www.emotionalinclusion.com/
https://www.instagram.com/emotional_inclusion/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/emotional-inclusion/

Amy Edmondson

Insights from this episode:

Psychological safety
Speaking up and being heard
Cultural differences in workplace dynamics
Purpose and fulfillment in work
Spectrum of Mental Health illnesses
Value creation
Curiosity, Humility, and Empathy

Quotes from the show:

“It’s great to have psychological safety and feel like you can speak up, but it matters even more if you feel like someone’s listening.” - Amy Edmondson
“Healthy organization of the future would be one where the purpose is front and center is people’s minds, where the culture is healthy, inclusive.” - Amy Edmondson
“We all want to be a part of something larger than ourselves.” - Amy Edmondson
“The first thing that companies need to do is truly differentiate and help identify people who are having medical mental health challenges and get them the help they need. Nothing could be more important than that. “ - Amy Edmondson
“Psychological safety is simply permission for candor.” - Amy Edmondson
“Curiosity is the twin sister of humility.” - Amy Edmondson
“Emotional inclusion is really a calling on companies to seriously invest in the mental health of their employees inside their organization, and really through a medical lens to see sustainable results because that’s effectively what we’re all after.” - Mollie Jean De Dieu
“Make sure that our employees feel valued and cared for, and that they have a sense of meaning within their organizations.” - Mollie Jean De Dieu

Stay connected:

Amy Edmondson
LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amedmondson/

Emotional inclusion

https://www.emotionalinclusion.com/
https://www.instagram.com/emotional_inclusion/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/emotional-inclusion/

Previous Episode

Ei x Golin: “Going All In” With Mental Health

Darren Burns
President of Golin Asia, Darren is a seasoned regional communications leader who has spent over two decades leading agencies in Taipei and Shanghai before relocating to Singapore in early 2019. His proven track record on evolving and implementing world class client service that drives real impact is unequivocal. Darren is also a lecturer, a speaker and a fellow podcaster.
Jane Morgan
is the Managing Director at Golin / Head of Client Services APAC. Jane joined Golin at HK in 2016 after senior roles at Ketchum and Edelman. Her record as an innovator in the region around talent, DEI and mental health, and her ability to create high performing teams is undeniable. Jane is passionate, driven, kind and always such a joy to speak to in our sharing of the mission.

Insights from this episode:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Identifying and accepting mental health struggles
Asia for Asia - local level support
Therapist support in the company
Leaders creating an environment allowing vulnerability and openness
Normalizing mental health discussions
Mental health spectrum
Covid as an accelerant for mental health importance and discussion

Quotes from the show:

“Go all in.” - Golin
“Fix it before it breaks.” - Golin
“Listen first, act, test and learn, and move things forward because together we can really create change and it has to be driven from the top.” - Darren Burns
Healthy emotions play a fundamental and participatory role in success and actually failing to recognize this is not just stigma, but it’s denial.” - Mollie Jean De Dieu
“The moment you start to act then the trust builds. Then you’ll find that people will open up and will start speaking a little bit more openly because they trust that you're listening to them and making the changes that they require.” - Jane Morgan
5 things to humanize the workplace:
- Listen
- Act
- Show your human side
- Make the phrase “it’s always been done that way” outlawed
- Be agile with your decision making and constantly evolve
Jane Morgan
“Having this open discussion, collaboration, but led from the top with bottom up feedback, has definitely been a game changer for us.” - Darren Burns
“It’s life saving, and it’s life changing in so many ways to have that one person listen to you and what you have to say.” - Mollie Jean De Dieu
“We take care of our people, and that essentially takes care of the business.” Mollie Jean De Dieu

Stay connected:

Golin
Linkedin

https://www.linkedin.com/company/golin/

Darren Burns
Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-burns-21a08a4/

Jane Morgan
Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/janemorgan01/

Emotional inclusion

https://www.emotionalinclusion.com/

https://www.instagram.com/emotional_inclusion/

Next Episode

Ei x AXA : Mental Health & Insurances with Gordon Watson

Gordon Watson

He is the CEO for AXA Asia, an experienced and energetic leader with a strong track record of delivering results. He is also a member of the group’s management committee. Gordon’s career in the insurance industry spans more than 30 years, including as regional CEO for AIA, as well as leading the group’s corporate solutions, partnership distribution, and AIA Vitality businesses from 2011 to 2017; he was also regional president for AIG Life in Japan and Korea from 2008 to 2010. He has held many key senior roles based out of London, New York, Nairobi, Dubai, Tokyo, Seoul, and Hong Kong. Gordon holds an MBA from the University of Hull in the UK and is a fellow of the UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute and the Society of Marketing. He is also the founding chair of Shared Value Project (SVP) in Hong Kong, where he works with private companies to tackle social issues.

Insights from this episode:

Mental health visibility
Ethisphere Institute & One Mind
Mental health Index of best practices for companies’ self assessment
Creating mental health culture in companies
Leaders’ role and responsibility in mental health company practices
Sustainability of mental health practices in companies
Inclusion of mental health in Insurances

Quotes from the show:

“Each person, to be all you can be in a company needs to come in, needs to bring the best of themselves to work and be able to thrive there.” - Gordon Watson
“For me as a CEO, we want high performance, but people need to come in and they need to feel comfortable that they can thrive.” - Gordon Watson
“If you really get mental health culture right, it should be robust and strong enough for everyone.” - Gordon Watson
“How can we create an overall robust mental health culture that really allows employees to bring the best of themselves to work everyday no matter who they are and really have a meritocracy and a team that supports each other?” - Gordon Watson
“We really have the moral obligation to look beyond and exercise deep awareness in that realm because a lot can be hidden behind a smile.” - Mollie Jean De Dieu
“Emotional inclusion, it’s really all about the doing because inclusion is an action.” - Mollie Jean De Dieu
“There is such a stigma behind mental health but we need to be walking our talk in making ripples of change and allowing there to be a work landscape for the generations to come where they can truly bring their full selves at work.” - Mollie Jean De Dieu
“Unless we see employee mental well-being through a medical lens, it cannot be sustainable.” - Mollie Jean De Dieu
“If you look after the mental health of your employees it’s going to affect your business in a very positive way; morale, engagement, etc.” - Gordon Watson

Stay connected:

Gordon Watson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordontwatson/

Emotional inclusion

https://www.emotionalinclusion.com/

https://www.instagram.com/emotional_inclusion/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/emotional-inclusion/